Illusion of time
by CaraJade The Jaded Angel
Summary: my fanfic based on Illusion of Time / Gaia (depending on which country you're from!)
1. Prologue

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A Science Fiction / Fantasy tale

Illusion of Time

**the story**

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Based on the game by the same name. (Licensed by Nintendo)

Background/Introduction

In a civilisation so great and ancient that nothing remains of it today, the first great flowering of human knowledge produced remarkable breakthroughs in the sciences of biology and genetics. These nameless ancients used their knowledge to create new forms of plants and animals that would make life better on earth. Inevitably, some people twisted the science and moulded violent beasts of war with hideous intelligence. The monsters terrorised the people and the civilisation began to crumble. In the end, two forces fought over the earth, the Knights of Light and Darkness. The ultimate weapon in this war was a comet that blazed with radiation and a strange light. The coming of the comet destroyed that race and mutated many people and animals into evil forms, which then hid in the deepest recesses of the world. In the ages that followed, from the time of the Egyptians and the Babylonians to the Incas, the comet continued to return every 800 years. And with the return of the Chaos Comet came times of darkness, destruction and disease. Fragmented legends of the comet's effects were passed on to the civilisations that followed. As these nations rose then fell and time turned their works to dust, only a few treasures remained in the most ancient ruins of the world…

Our story begins in the age of exploration, a long time before the human race as we know it today was around. It was a time of great discoveries, when brave explorers drew back the dark shrouds of fable and shed light on the ancient wonders. In that time, a party of adventurers from the seaside town of South Cape set off to unlock one of the greatest of mysteries - the legendary tower of Babel. Olman, the leader, led his fellow townsmen and even his son, Will, into the tower. But then something happened and the expedition was lost without trace…Except for one. Unfortunately, young Will couldn't remember what had happened, how he had been saved or even how he had managed to return home after his ordeal. Even stranger was the fact that Will now possessed the power to move objects through thought alone.

The story, 'Illusion of Time' follows Will and his companions as they seek the answers to the lost expedition. As they begin their quest, they don't suspect that it will lead them around the world or that the fate of the planet lies in their own inexperienced hands. They'll have to learn and grow and mould their characters into the stuff of heroes as they face many deadly monsters created by the comet in past ages. Not all of the friends complete the journey. Some may turn aside to discover new destinies. Along the way, help may arrive from unexpected quarters – from Gaia the spirit of the earth, Freedan, a powerful knight and from the mysterious Shadow. Will must go the entire distance, fighting every battle and return to the Tower of Babel, where he must attempt to end the plague of the comet and find out what really happened to his father. Here's where the story really begins……….


	2. Chapters 1-7

Chapter One – South Cape

The school bell rang loudly, jolting Will awake. He heard the teacher say, with his voice penetrating Will's misty haze of sleep, "That's all for today. You four must try not to fall behind in your lessons."

Erik, one of Will's friends, gave him a nudge and beckoned him over. Before Will had even got out of his seat, another of his friends, Seth, leapt up, saying, "I'll see you guys in the seaside cave as usual then!" With that, he ran off. Erik laughed as Will came over to join him. "You'd better hurry home Will, or your folks will think you've been kept after school again!" With another chuckle, he headed after Seth – presumably to the friends' seaside cave. The four friends, Lance, Seth, Erik and Will often gathered in the 'secret' cave in the southern part of town, near the sea, to talk and play cards. It was natural that they thought of it as their second home. Lance was packing away his books as Will approached. "I'll see you later, Will, in the seaside cave, O.K?"

Will nodded and ran off swiftly up the stairs, which led to the school roof. He wanted to stretch his legs before returning home. When he reached the top, he felt exhilarated; he could see the whole tiny town of South Cape spread out before him, bathed in the warm glow of afternoon sunlight. The roof of the school made a great viewpoint. It was beautiful, Will did love his home. He didn't think he would ever leave it, well, not by choice anyway. He didn't want it to change either; he liked everything just the way it was. A young man disturbed his thoughts by calling to him in an annoyed tone, "Will! How many times have I told you, you are not to come up here. You have a strange habit of jumping down from places!"

It was true – Will loved to run, jump and leap around. He was a born athlete, and very daring and fit. He was also swift and nimble - light on his toes. He knew all the little crevices and hidey-holes in town and liked to be alone in them sometimes, just to recollect past times, and ponder over the mystery of the lost expedition, which he had been on with his famous father – Olman, the explorer. 

Defying the man who had just yelled at him, he leapt with practised ease to the next roof, which was alongside the school. He laughed somewhat rudely at the young man, who was left shouting abuse after him.

Will continued to laugh until he reached the edge of the roof, he could just see over. There was grass below - a good landing, he considered. Then he looked up, surprised. Another man was sitting next to him. He had appeared with no warning, silently, undetected by Will, who would normally have noticed anyone sneaking up behind him. The man had a mysterious air to him and glanced at Will, seemingly sizing him up critically. "You're Will, aren't you?" Will nodded, confused and surprised that the strange man knew who he was. He was about to voice his thoughts when the man leaned over and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "I'm known as the Jeweller, Gem. I have many gifts to offer you, in exchange for the beautiful and rare stones known as 'Red Jewels.' When you find them, you must come running to me and trade them with me. I am however a master of disguises. If you saw me in another village, you wouldn't recognise me. Would you like to see my inventory?"

Will nodded. It was all he could manage, he was feeling rather stunned at all this sudden information. Gem unrolled a scroll on which was written, in flowing black ink;

**Inventory**

Herbs 3 JewelsDefence Force 5 Jewels

Life Force 8 JewelsStrength 12 Jewels

Pschcho power 20 JewelsDark Power 30 Jewels

My Secrets… 50 Jewels

Will stared at the scroll. What were all these weird items and why would they be of use to him? How was he going to find all 50 Jewels? What did Gem mean, his secrets? Were all the jewels hidden in South Cape alone, and why did he mention other villages? Surely the jeweller could not expect him to travel so far, just to look for these Red Jewels?!" Will's brain was full of these thoughts, all buzzing round so fast, he could hardly think straight. But before Will could blurt any of this out, with a twinkle and a brilliant flash of light, Gem had disappeared… He had gone just as he had come – silently, unexpectedly, with no warning. 

Will stood motionless for a few moments, trying to figure out what exactly this all meant. He gave up – he was too confused. He leapt down easily from the high roof, landing on the grass below him, as he had planned. He was about to take up the search for the red jewels, (he was rather excited at the prospect – at least it would be something to do,) when he suddenly remembered he would have to go home.

Chapter Two – The Seaside Cave

Will burst through the door of his house, gasping for breath. He had just sprinted all the way practically from the other side of town to his house, without stopping. "Hello Will," Grandma Lola greeted him. "I'm cooking dinner, but it's not quite ready yet. Go out and play for a while." She hadn't appeared to notice that he was late home. Will lived with his grandparents, seeing his mother had died years before and a year and a half ago, his father had been lost along with the rest of the expedition in the legendary Tower of Babel.

He hurried upstairs to see his grandfather, Bill. He was smoking his pipe and reading a newspaper. The room smelled strongly of tobacco smoke, although to Will it was not an unpleasant smell, more like a familiar one. Bill chuckled upon seeing Will. "Hello. Got kept after school did you?" Will didn't reply, but he remembered what Erik had said!

"Even if you can't learn, a boy's got to have some initiative, that's what I say." He slapped Will heartily on the back. "Good, good. Run along then." Will did as he was told, not bothering to correct his Grandpa on the fact that he _hadn't_ actually been kept behind after school. 

As he wandered down the paths of the village, towards the seaside cave, he chatted to the townspeople, who swarmed busily around the streets of South Cape. They all knew Will well, and were readily engaged in conversation with him – he was polite and friendly. "Such a well brought up young lad," many of them commented to their friends as he went on his way. Will made a quick visit to each of his friends' houses, saying a cheery hello to each of the parents, even Seth's, who had obviously just been arguing over something again. Will wondered if they would ever cease, after all, throwing pots out of the door is all a bit much, especially when it's totally unexpected – 'they could injure someone,' Will thought. 'Like me,' he added, with a quick smile to himself. He had been surprised, certainly, when the pot had crashed into the street. After him only just opening the door too! He had nearly jumped out of his skin. 

To his great surprise and delight, he discovered one of the jewels that Gem had mentioned, downstairs in Lance's house. He didn't stop to consider why Lance or his frail mother, for that matter, had never found the gemstone before. Lance lived alone with his mother since the Tower of Babel episode, when his father, too, had been lost.

When at last he reached the cave, Seth and Lance, who were seated at the small table, playing an intense game of cards, greeted him. They looked to be concentrating hard. Seth glanced up long enough to confide in Will that he was sure to win, again. Will didn't doubt it. Seth may be shy and skinny, but he _was_ very intelligent, and good at cards!

Just as Will was about to sit down, Erik came rushing in, looking excited and flustered. "Guess what? Big news!" Erik exclaimed dramatically. The princess of Edward's Kingdom has escaped again! They say she came to South Cape!"

"Is that all?" Lance asked, after a brief pause. "You came in, in such a hurry, I thought it must be something _really _important!" He sat down and resumed playing. Seeing Erik looking defiant, he added slyly, with a sideways glance at Will as he did so, "it's probably that spoiled girl Kara, the one you like so much!"

"Liar!" Erik retorted, hotly. "_I_ like those soldiers – they're so cool, I want one of those steel helmets too!"

No one said anything in reply to this, so Erik gave up, trailed over to a vacant seat and sat down looking like a deflated balloon. Will shook his head, Erik was so easily teased – especially as he was the youngest in the group of friends; the rest of the boys were fourteen and Erik was only twelve. However, Will had been interested at the news of the princess, and amused at Erik's drama. He sat down beside Erik, who muttered to Will, in a dejected tone of voice, "and I thought everyone would be so _surprised_." Will felt slightly sorry for Erik, he sometimes found it hard to keep up with the older boys. "I thought it was quite interesting actually," he whispered comfortingly. Erik's face lit up, visibly. "Really, you did?"

Lance interrupted, with a grin at Will, who returned it, and stood up. "Right, we're all here, what shall we do today?" he announced importantly. 

"I want to see Will's magic power!" Erik demanded.

"Haven't you seen it?" Lance queried, surprised. "He can move things without even touching them! He moved that statue over in the corner of the room yesterday. Show us again Will!"

Will stood up and made his way over to the corner of the room. It was here that the statue he had moved yesterday, through thought alone, stood. It was a perfectly ordinary statue, of reasonable size and weight, nothing magical or special about it. Standing a couple of feet away from the statue, Will could feel all his friends' eyes fixed on him, and it made him feel a little nervous. He didn't exactly know how he managed to move things in this way, but it was just natural to him. He didn't like the way his friends treated him differently because of it, although he did like the admiration, he supposed. His friends always made a big deal out of his 'powers.' He closed his eyes, took out his flute and held it in front of him. (The flute was very precious to him, his father had found it in the Tower of Babel, and given it to Will, before he disappeared, and he could play it marvellously well.) He began to twirl it in front of him, faster and faster until it (and his hands that were spinning the flute!) were a blur. He imagined the statue moving towards him and concentrated on this thought only, blocking out everything else in his mind. He heard a satisfying grating sound, presumably as the statue moved across the stone floor of the cave and opened his eyes to see the statue moving miraculously towards him. 

"Wow, look, it moved!" Erik screeched excitedly. Lance blinked. "No matter how many times I see it, I'm still amazed! Now, Will, pick a card, the one you think is the Ace of Diamonds," and Lance laid out four cards out on the table in front of Will. Will paused only for a few seconds before steeping forward and holding up one of the cards. It was the Ace of Diamonds, of course! "Wow!" Erik breathed out. "You're amazing Will!"

Lance re-gathered the cards and said to Seth, "this has got to be some Psychic power, right Seth?" 

"Yeah." Seth said, thinking. "It's gotta be something like that. Most people have five senses, right? Sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste," he paused. "I reckon Will's power is some kind of sixth sense."

"Hmmm." Lance looked confused. "What Seth says is too difficult for me to understand," Erik nodded in agreement. However, Will simply looked thoughtful. He understood what Seth meant. Perhaps his powers were a sixth sense. Who knows? "Oh, well," Lance continued. "One more game with Seth, then I'm going home."

Will left soon afterwards. It was dusk when he stepped out of the cave. He remembered the Red Jewels that Gem the Jeweller had informed him of, and in his haste to get going, he almost crashed into a fisherman, who was staring moodily into the dark water. 

"Look," he said dismally. "All I've got today is this old pot." He indicated the rather dilapidated object beside him. Will examined it, curious. "Keep it if you like, I have no further use for it, after all," the fisherman added. Will took the pot, not wanting to appear ungrateful, and ran up the steps from the jetty with it. 

To his amazement, he found a second Red Jewel in the depths of it. "Yeah, all right!" Will exclaimed, pleased. It was getting late, though, he would search some more tomorrow. He didn't stop to wonder why he had never met Gem before, after all the years of living in South Cape, or why he had never found any jewels before, especially as he knew all the hiding places in the town. It was only the beginning of the big adventure he was about to embark upon. 

Chapter 3 – The Princess of Edward's Kingdom

Will hastened home, aware of the fact that he was later then he had expected to be. To his amazement, as he stepped through the door of his home, he saw a pig wrecking the downstairs room. "A pig? But, what's a pig doing in my house?!" Will exclaimed out loud, incredulous. He was about to rush up the stairs to attempt to find out what on earth was going on, when, with a loud snort, the pig grabbed the back of his tunic and dragged him backwards across the floor. Will lost his footing, stumbled, and fell over with a loud yell of annoyance. Someone came down the stairs at that moment, just as Will sat up and stared at the pig. It was a stranger – a girl. She had dark hair and eyes and was dressed in fancy looking clothes. 'Obviously rich,' thought Will. He envied those who had a lot of money. But she did look very pretty, he decided.

"Hamlet, don't snort at strangers," she addressed the pig, sharply. Will was surprised, but for the moment said nothing. He didn't realise that the girl was the princess of Edward's Kingdom, the same young lady Erik had been talking about earlier. She looked the same age as him, and the thought didn't enter his head. "This your house?" the girl asked, turning to Will. "Yeah…So?" Will replied defiantly. He wasn't about to take any criticism from this fancy rich girl. His home may not be grand, no doubt nothing like what she lived in, but so what? "Where's your mother? Father? Not here, huh?" She walked over to where a framed picture of Will's parents had been hung on the wall, and studied it. "My father was an explorer," Will began. "Yes, I know. I gathered, from the picture. Olman, the great explorer, am I right?" Will nodded and turned away, miserably. "Then, you must be Will," the girl concluded, still looking at the picture. "Didn't you go to the Tower of…." She paused, struggling to remember. "Babel," Will finished for her, automatically. The girl nodded, then looked Will up and down, critically. "Frankly," she said, "you look a little shabby." Will was about to retaliate to this remark, but the girl carried on, swiftly. "They say he was lost."

"What?" Will looked confused for a moment, then realised they were back on the subject of his father. "Oh. He'll come back someday." He told her, with a note of determination in his voice. "Aren't you sad? I'd be sad if it were me," she said. Will looked away. He was sad, of course, but he wasn't about to show it. "I'm sorry," the girl continued. Then she changed the subject again. "Do you have a piano?" 

"No," Will informed her. "But Grandma Lola is a great singer."

"She's singing upstairs now, then," she noted. "She has such a loud voice!"

Will nodded hastily and ran upstairs to see his grandparents. He was wondering who this girl was. Normally he would have just asked, in his forthright manner, but he felt strangely shy around her. She was a little intimidating. Perhaps his grandparents would know. He had barely reached the top of the stairs when he heard a loud scream from downstairs. His grandparents, surprised, leapt up at the sound, and followed him as he tore down the stairs again. Downstairs, soldiers had crowded around the girl, who was facing the wall, with her arms crossed, in a defiant fashion. "Please, princess, you must return with us, or the king will have my head!" one of the soldiers begged. 'Princess?!' Will thought in astonishment. 

Of course, the princess of Edward's Kingdom! The one Erik had mentioned. Wait, what was her name? Kara? "What do I care if you lose your head?" She snapped. Will almost laughed out loud when he heard this, but managed to control himself. He was about to step forward and ask what was going on, when one of the soldiers stepped forward, grabbing the girl's arm and dragged her forcefully towards the door. 

"Hey," Will protested, running forwards and yanking on the soldier's arm. The soldier turned and knocked Will effortlessly to the floor, with a heavy blow. Will sat up, rubbing his bruised forehead dazedly. The girl was resisting, digging her heels into the floor, but really, she was no match for the soldier. "Will," she cried, turning her head, to try and catch a glimpse of him over her shoulder. She strained round. "I feel as if we've met before…I'm sorry. I didn't tell you – I'm Kara, princess of Edward's Kingdom. I hope we'll meet again, someday…" Kara's voice faded as the soldiers made their way out, with Kara still struggling furiously in the grasp of the soldier who had struck him. 

Will pushed the hair out of his eyes. He felt rather stunned. What was the princess doing here, anyway? And what did she mean she felt as though she'd met him before? He'd never seen her before in his life. He shrugged his shoulders at his Grandma and Grandpa, who still appeared rather shocked. Bill moved forwards to help Will off the floor. "Are you all right lad? That was some knock you took there."

Will nodded. Already the bruise had come up, large and purple-coloured. He rubbed it ineffectually once more. "Ha. That girl likes to play games does she? She never said she was the princess. Told us she was just passing through," Bill added.

"Dinner's ready, Will," Grandma Lola remarked, giving herself a mental shake. "We'll eat upstairs."

They did so, sitting down to a feast of snail pie with whipped cream (?!) Will only managed one slice before feeling slightly nauseous. He excused himself, saying he felt tired, which was partly true. His grandpa ate almost half the pie! 

That night, Will dreamed that he and Kara took a trip around the world. It couldn't be nearer to the truth. Perhaps, it was predicting the future…

Chapter 4 – Summoned to Edward's castle

When Will woke up the following morning, he dressed swiftly and hurried downstairs. His grandparents were seated at the kitchen table. Will sat down and looked at both of them intently. They seemed pre-occupied, both of them. Bill leaned over and said softly to him, "have you noticed, Lola's cooking is getting stranger by the day? I mean, snail pie? Not that I didn't enjoy it of course! I had some for breakfast, but I saved you a piece." Will nodded. He had been thinking the same thing about his grandma. He was sharp, on the ball, and an intelligent boy. At fourteen, he possessed many qualities that some adults did not have, such as compassion for others. He touched Lola lightly on her hand. "Oh, Will, you startled me," she smiled her warm smile, but still, she seemed anxious. "A letter came for you today," she told Will, "from King Edward," she added, in hushed tones. She passed it to him. Will unfolded the sheet of paper, took in the royal crest at the top of the page and the impressive looking handwriting. This is what it read:

Bring the crystal ring from Olman's belongings to the palace and give it to me.

King Edward

That was all. No please, or thank you, no 'Dear Will,' anywhere to be seen. Although, that was to be expected, after all, this was the _king_ who was writing to him. 'Royalty,' Will thought disgustedly. 'You just don't get an ounce of respect from them, and look at how much we, the people, respect them!' Then he stared at the letter once more, puzzled. "What Crystal Ring?"

"That's what I don't know, Will," Lola sighed, worriedly. "I suppose you had just better go to the Palace and tell the King you don't have it."

"You seem very worried," Bill began, "What's that melody you used to hum when I was courting you?"

"Oh, you sly old thing, bringing that up!" Lola laughed, relaxing. "You were an architect then, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember," Bill grinned. Lola turned to Will, who was looking from his Grandma to Grandpa, in a confused state - he hadn't known all this before now. "Your grandfather designed the prison under the castle!" Lola informed him. 

"Really?" Will asked, interested. 

"Yes, though I must admit, I feel guilty about designing a place where people spend the rest of their days struggling to get out of," Bill sighed. "It's more like a maze, then a prison, actually."

"Anyway, the melody," Lola said briskly. "It goes like this. I hum it whenever I'm feeling upset." She began to hum the melody. It was rather haunting and sad sounding, but strangely enchanting. Even though Will had never heard it before, it seemed oddly familiar…

Will locked the tune away in his 'musical' memory. He was quick to pick up tunes and songs, and often after hearing them once, could repeat them on his flute. "Maybe you should be getting on to the castle now dear," Lola advised. "Yes, you never know, you might meet the princess again," laughed his grandpa.

Chapter 5 – Will discovers Dark Space

Will slipped out of his house, after saying goodbye to his grandparents and before leaving his home town to set off for Edward's Castle, he went up to the school roof again, just to take one last look at everything which he was familiar with. In the Bell Tower he discovered another Red Jewel, but he was too worried to be excited by his find… Then, as he was about to leave the roof, he noticed a glowing sphere of light, just hanging, it seemed, in mid-air. He edged closer, and blinking, he saw a flash of blinding light come from the depths of the sphere. He shielded his eyes for a moment; the light was too dazzling to watch. When he chanced a second look, the sphere had disappeared and in its place was a gateway, suspended in the air. Will stared at it, fascinated, as it grew clearer. A bright light twinkled far away, within the confines of the gateway. It appeared to be a red star of some sort. A stone pathway led far into the distance, until it grew so small that Will couldn't possibly see _where_ it led. He felt as though a force was behind him, pushing him closer to the gateway. In the end, he led himself be driven towards it, the force was too powerful for him to resist. And besides, the portal did not seem threatening. He stepped through the gateway. 

It was like passing through time, Will felt like he was gliding through space, enveloped by an astoundingly bright white light. He looked down at his feet and found, to his amazement, they weren't moving. Looking forwards again, he could glimpse something in the distance, but he couldn't quite work out what it was, it was too blurred to be recognisable. All the time, the bright, twinkling, red star shone above his head, like a beacon. Will closed his eyes, the white light was giving him a headache. With a jolt, Will realised he had ceased to move, if you could call it moving. He opened his eyes. A statue towered above him, forbidding, but not menacing in its stare. 'Stare?' Will thought wildly. 'How could a statue _stare_ at you?'

But, however strange it seemed, it was true, the statue was staring at him. Will was feeling terrified, although he did his best not to – it was only a statue, he kept repeating to himself. Then, suddenly, it spoke. It was a pleasant sound, like a soft breeze blowing through treetops. "Will…" Will looked up, trembling all over with fright. "I am Gaia, the source of all life…"

The statue paused, as if thinking. Will gulped, and looked around, for some way to escape. But there was none. "You will embark on a great quest, a journey…" The statue continued. "It is your destiny to save the world; I will do all that I can, to help you with this quest, for the fate of the world rests on_ your_ shoulders…"

"Why _me_?" Will gasped out, still terrified and disbelieving. What was happening to him? "You alone have the power to 'see' this gateway into Dark Space…You possess the power that can save the world, Will…" Will watched as the statue's stone mouth closed, and it returned to its previous motionless state. "Dark Space?" Will questioned, but there was no reply.

"Wait!" Will cried out, "what...What if I don't want to…I don't have any powers, really I don't…I love my home, I don't _want_ to go on any quest…Why does it have to be me?" The statue's eyes opened once more and it spoke again, in a quieter, firmer tone. "You must," it said. "The rest of the world depends on you, Will, although they do not know it. It is your destiny…." Gaia's voice faded, but the echo remained. 'Destiny…Destiny…Destiny…' Will stood, silent, but aching to cry out, or scream or something, but in his heart, he knew it would have no effect. He turned, miserably, to go. Where was he supposed to _go_, though? He stepped blindly forward into nothingness, and with another flash of blinding light, Will found himself back in South Cape. 

Chapter 6 – Edward's Castle

Will left the town soon after and made good time in his journey to Edward's Kingdom. He reached the castle in a matter of hours. Will stared up in awe, at the grand architecture of the building. He looked around behind him, just to make sure that there had been no one following him. Then, without a second glance, he disappeared into the door of the castle. 

Two soldiers quickly moved in front of Will, preventing him from coming any further. Will eyed them curiously. "Children aren't allowed in the castle!" One of the soldiers gave Will a push. "Go home, boy." Will drew himself up to his full height, and crossed his arms. "The king summoned me here, himself." Will informed the soldier in his most grown-up voice. "I don't think he'd be very pleased to know you'd sent me back home again!" 

"Oh, you're Will! Well, then, you must enter. Forgive me if I appeared rude." The soldiers stepped to one side and Will strode, in what he hoped was an impressive manner, past them. He felt rather pleased with himself. He was told by one of the soldiers that the King was having breakfast, and he must wait a while before entering the throne room.

Will remembered Kara. He wondered whereabouts she was in this huge building. Glancing around, he went over to the stairs, whilst staring around him at the grandeur of the castle. There was a plush red carpet lining the stone floor, and Will stepped silently across it, his footsteps muffled by the thick material. Tapestries and massive paintings hung from the walls, and when Will looked up, he saw a huge, twinkling chandelier above him, the crystal fragments reflecting the daylight. At the moment, the candles supported by the chandelier were not lit, but Will knew that by nightfall they would be, casting a soft glow on the hallway.

He found himself in a bedroom, a maid was putting fresh sheets on a bed, and she was singing to herself. Embarrassed, Will hastily backed out, but in doing so, he crashed into a small table, sending a vase flying. Horrified, Will closed his eyes and concentrated hard. In his mind, he imagined the vase halting before it hit the floor, and floating back up to it's rightful place. When he opened his eyes, to his relief, the vase was safely back on the table, and the maid was staring at him wide-eyed. "Are you a wizard?" She breathed, fascinated. "No." Will said in a small voice. "I'm just a boy…"

"Wow, that was amazing, though! How did you do that?" 

Will shrugged. "I don't really know." 

"Oh." The maid turned back to her work, losing interest. Then she spoke again. "Recently, a hunter has been hired. I wonder what the king is thinking…"

Will didn't know if this comment was directed at him, or whether the maid was simply talking to herself. So, he slipped out of the room, and ran down the stairs.

After a bit more exploring, Will leant against a pillar, exhausted. To his surprise, a voice spoke, seemingly from the very pillar he was resting against. Will spun round. Was he going mad? It seemed like it! First meeting a strange jeweller who told him to search for jewels, secondly meeting the princess, Kara, in his very own house, then disappearing into a magical gateway, talking to a statue and now, a _pillar_ was talking to him! "O.K, now, what do _you_ want me to do? I'm already saving the world, collecting red jewels, and using psychological powers I don't even understand, so what next?" Will shouted at the pillar, then dropped his voice, realising that people might hear him. "Mind your manners and don't raise your voice," a tiny voice said. "What?" Will exclaimed. A small girl appeared from behind the pillar. "Don't raise your voice and mind your manners!" She giggled.

"That's what everyone tells me." She looked about six, Will thought. Then she threw something at him. "Catch!" With another giggle she ran off without any word of explanation. Will caught the object. It was another Red Jewel! But where had that little girl gone?

After a while, Will gave up looking for the child, and went up the next flight of stairs. He raced along the battlements of the castle, and stopped to enjoy the view of the countryside spread out below him. Then he noticed a room at the end of the battlements. A soldier stood outside as if guarding whatever was in the room. Will edged closer. The soldier stepped in front of him, and Will recognised him – he was the one who had hit Will yesterday. Will hoped that the soldier didn't remember him! Then he heard a familiar voice from within. "Who is it?" Kara ran to the door. "Oh, Will! I knew that you'd come!" Will pushed past the soldier, who surprisingly didn't protest and followed Kara into her bedroom. She leaned over and in a conspiratal whisper, told Will what was going on. "My mother has hired a hunter, but I don't know why…Then there's the fact that they (Will assumed this meant Kara's parents) won't let me leave the castle. I've escaped before, and now they won't let me out of my room! Please, Will, you've got to help me! Take me out with you when you leave…" She tailed off and looked up with an innocent stare as the soldier walked in and yanked Will out of the room. "Your business here is done, boy! Get out of here now!" He shoved Will out of the door, and slammed it. Will stumbled and fell flat on his face. 

Annoyed and puzzled, Will hurried downstairs again. He reckoned that the king must have finished breakfast by now. He wondered what the king wanted the crystal ring for, and why he thought Will had it. Oh well, he would soon have the answer to his questions. The soldier that had been standing guard at the door previously, had moved aside, and he said to Will, "the king is ready to see you now, young man."

Chapter 7 -Meeting the king

Will thanked the guard politely and climbed the steep stairs to the throne room. He was beginning to feel more than a little nervous, he hoped the king would be in a good mood. As he reached the top of the stairs, two soldiers escorted him down a long hallway and into a large room. Will gasped, it was huge, and filled with many, many beautiful objects, the likes of which he had never set eyes upon. Then, he noticed the king and queen watching with amused looks, seated on heavy, ornate thrones on a raised platform in the centre of the room. Will climbed the few steps that took him to the same level as their majesties and bowed before them. The king nodded. "I can see that you have been brought up well, young Will. Now, you came here to give me something, did you not?" 

Will licked his lips and cleared his throat. "Yes your majesty. I mean…"

"Well, boy, have you got the ring? Let's see it." Will began again. "You see, sir, there was a slight misunderstanding. I, well… I don't actually have the ring. Neither my grandparents nor me could find it. But,"

"WHAT?" The king interrupted Will and stood up angrily. "Are you telling me that you don't have the ring?!" Will took a few hasty steps backwards and fell off the platform. The king grabbed the front of Will's tunic and dragged him up until Will's face was level with his. "I told you to bring that ring to me, and you've disobeyed my orders! Guards, throw this impudent young rebel in the dungeons!"

"What?!" Will cried, in shock. "But, your majesty, I've searched for the ring everywhere. Please believe me, I really couldn't find it!" The king ignored Will's protest and waved him away. Will was now feeling angry – this was unfair, he hadn't done anything wrong! It wasn't his fault that he couldn't find that blasted ring, he had tried. "You won't get away with this sort of thing!" Will yelled as the soldiers dragged him away. "You can't lock people up when they've done nothing!" One of the soldiers twisted Will's arm so hard, that he thought he was going to yell out, but he clamped his lips tightly together – he wasn't going to let the guard know that he was in pain. The soldier leered at him. "You're pretty strong lad – but you won't escape from the prison, no-one ever finds their way out of there!"

Will cursed silently to himself as the guards marched him down several flights of stairs. His grandpa had designed the prison himself, and even he had said that people never found their way out of it – what was he going to do? 

Will gave a long, exhausted sigh. The soldiers had left him here only a short while ago, and already he was feeling desperate. He had already checked the door, all the walls, the floor – everywhere he could think of that might let him get out of this prison cell. But, it was no use, the door was a great, heavy iron thing, the walls were solidly built, with no signs of a secret escape route, and the floor was no better – no trap doors in sight. Unable to think straight from fatigue, Will sat down on the stone floor, struggling to come up with some sort of plan for a gaol-break and put his head in his hands. Before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep. 

A familiar voice spoke to Will, seemingly coming from the flute. "Father?" Will asked, feeling fuzzy headed and unable to think properly. "_Will_…" The voice echoed in Will's dream. "_Will, you are to begin a great task. You must journey to the ancient ruins of the world to recover the six Mystic Statues. The Dark Power grows strong, my son, and I fear that once the Chaos Comet comes upon Earth once again, evil will overtake the world and all hope will be lost. You are our only chance, Will. Are you willing to undertake this mission_?"

Will's thoughts jumbled in his mind, thinking of what Gaia, the spirit of eternal life had spoken to him of. "Yes," he whispered quietly, not knowing how he would succeed. Everything in him told him that he must assume this quest, he didn't know why it had to be him, and he didn't know how he was going to accomplish it, but something told him he _must_. 

"_Will_," the echoey voice spoke once more, a hollow sound, but unmistakable as the voice of his father. "_I must go now, but first, I will show you a gem that holds unspeakable power. You alone can harness this power and use it. It may save your life_…" 

Then, with that, the voice faded and was gone. Will woke with a start, wondering if the past events had been real or simply imaginary. But then he glimpsed something that cast aside all doubt – there, on the floor next to him was a glittering silver jewel, which, when Will stared into the depths of it, glowed with an inner red light. 

Suddenly, Will heard a snuffling sound and looked up surprised. A pig came into his view beyond the heavy bars. A pig that looked very familiar… 

Disclaimer –

OK, so I don't own any of these characters, etc. They are the property of Nintendo and associates and I am of course, not making any money out of these! I'm trying to keep to the storyline of the game by the same name, perhaps some of you will have played it?

If you would like to read any of my original stories, please mail me at [Ki55me@yahoo.com][1]

Thanx, luv CaraJade

There's more to come in this story, if I get reviews I might be bothered to write more…Of course if no-one likes it, then that's cool, I can concentrate on other stuff. Mwahahahaha….OK, so I'm blackmailing…Don't I know it?

So, be luverly and review, OK?

   [1]: mailto:Ki55me@yahoo.com



	3. default chapter title

Escape from imprisonment  
  
"Hamlet!" Will burst out in surprise. Although he knew the pig could not communicate with him, he had never been more glad to see anything in his life. As the pig drew nearer, Will could see that a scrap of gilded paper had been rolled up and tied to the pig's tail. Hastily he unknotted the string that fastened it to Hamlet, and unfurled it, scanning the note quickly. It read;  
'I too am a prisoner, in a prison of silk and gold! But tonight we shall both escape - please, Will, take me with you, I can't bear this place any longer...  
~ Kara '  
Will felt a surge of elation when he realised that something else was taped to the back of the note.   
The prison key.   
He was free.  
  
Will wasted no time in unlocking his prison cell and stole out from the damp, dark little room. He was surprised and extremely relieved to see that there were no guards; at least he would not have to fight his way out. He supposed that no one actually believed anyone could get out of this prison. Well, he was going to be the first.  
Swiftly he made his way through the darkened corridor to a large stone entrance-way with a shabby curtain pulled halfway across it. Will glanced up uneasily at the high stone arch. He only hesitated a moment however, before pushing the moth-eaten cloth aside and stepping into the dungeon.  
He stared around him in horror. Shadows appeared to claw at him from the lingering darkness with a horrifying malevolence. There was a slight rustling from above and an ominous squeaking sound. Frantically Will steeled himself not to turn; to turn and run back to his cell. He was going to get out, he was!  
All of a sudden a horrible screeching assailed him and then leathery wings were battering at his face. Will yelled in fright and found himself with his flute in his hand waving frantically as though he could defend himself with it. A moment later he found that he could. Three bats lay dead on the dungeon floor - he could just make them out with the flickering torches that were present in the room. Will let out a shaky breath and hastened through the open archway he could just see, framed in the flickering luminescence of the elusive torchlight.  
  
After several more dark rooms and corridors, Will was beginning to feel very uneasy. Was there no end to this labyrinth? He continued to feel along the walls shakily, hoping that his hands didn't encounter anything that wasn't hard, solid stone.  
Once he stopped to catch his breath and something extremely light, feathery soft, brushed past his ear.  
"Who's there?" Will asked, swinging around, every muscle in his body tense, ready to spring.  
  
  
  



End file.
